Method and apparatus for underwater loading of a water vessel



. STORMA ET AL Jan. 10, 1961 E. M

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNDERWATER LOADING OF A WATER VESSEL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26, 1957 INVENTORS Jan- 10, 1961 E. M. STORMA ETAL 2,967,631

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNDERWATER LOADING OF A WATER VESSEL Filed April 26, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS sow/m0 M. sromm osmo/vp E F/ELQJR. moms c. H/LL ALBERT C. HAKE I BY ZZ ATTORNEYS Jan. 10, 1961 E v M. STORMA ETAL 2,967,631 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNDERWATER LOADING OF A WATER VESSEL Filed April 26, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1N VENTORS E0 WARD M. 5' TORMA OSMO/VD F. F IE1. D,JR THO/MA .5 6. H L L AL 85/? T 6. HA [(5 ATTORNEY United States Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNDERWATER LOADING OF A WATER VESSEL Edward M. Storma, Parkville, Osmond F. Field, Jr., Fullerton, Thomas C. Hill, Aberdeen, and Albert C. Hake, Middleboro, Md., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Apr. 26, 1951, Ser. No. 655,455

9 Claims. Cl. 214-13 The present invention is a method of and apparatus for underwater loading of a water vessel and more particularly to a method and apparatus for underwater loading of a water vessel having a rotary door.

In the past, water vessels were loaded while afloat through either a crown hatch or a side door provided in the vessel. With these systems of loading, the vessels preferably carried their own loading equipment.

In smaller vessels such as seaplanes, the door or hatch cannot be made large enough, for structural reasons, to allow large stores to be loaded through them. Also, the time involved in loading a vessel having a crown batch or side door loading system is lengthy, and such systems are not designed for fast loading as required by water vessels in time of war. Therefore, these systems have the disadvantages set forth above and are not suitable for use in connection with a seaplane that must be re loaded while afloat under wartime conditions.

One of the main missions of a seaplane during wartime is to restrict the movements of enemy surface ships and submarines. To effectively carry out this mission, the seaplane must be completely operative from a water base and it must possess the ability to be rearmed or reloaded quickly while afloat. The rearming operation may occur in the open water or shallows, in sheltered regions or forward battle areas: for maximum effectiveness of the seaplane, it should be capable of being loaded rapidly at such sites, and require only a minimum amount of equipment at the site. Until the advent of the present invention, a method meeting these requirements did not exist.

The method and apparatus of the present invention are to be used in conjunction with a seaplane having a rotary (bomb) bay door of the type disclosed in Patent No. 2,634,656, issued to Woollens et al., April 14, 1953.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for underwater loading of a water vessel having a rotary door while afloat.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for underwater loading and unloading of a water vessel while afloat with a minimum amount of time and equipment.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for underwater loading of a water vessel while afloat which allows large single stores or a plurality of stores to be loaded.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a seaplane, with a caisson in elevation therebelow, both diagrammatically shown.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are similar views, showing the parts in ditferent sequential positions, and with the front end wall of the caisson removed.

i 2,967,631 Patented Jan. 10, 1961 Fig. 5 shows a side view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2, with the fore and aft sections of the seaplane cut off.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figs. 1 through 4 showing the door in a partially open position.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts through out the several views, there is shown in Fig. 1 a transverse section of a seaplane 10 afloat having a bay 11 closed by a door 12 which is rotatably mounted about an axis 13, preferably in the manner described in aforementioned Patent No. 2,634,656. The door 12 has an interior surface 14 which is provided with self-locking female fittings 15 for attaching a loaded carrier 16 having male conical fittings 17 to the door 12.

In Fig. l, the seaplane 10 is positioned between a pair of buoys 18 which support a submerged caisson 19 by means of support cables 20. The caisson 19 is placed at a predetermined location prior to the arrival of the aircraft.

The caisson 19 has a waterproof stowage compartment 21 having an open top which is closed by a waterproof cover 22. The cover 22 is shaped to match the contour of the rotary door 12. A releasable rigid seal 23 encircles the cover 22 and engages the side walls of the opening to the stowage compartment 21.

The caisson 19 is provided with a partially inflatable bumpenseal 24 which extends around the cover 22. The bumper-seal 24 protects the seaplane 10 and the caisson 19 from damage when they engage and forms a watertight seal between the two during loading operations.

Ballast tanks 25 are mounted in the side walls 26 and floor 27 of the caisson 19. The ballast tanks 25 have ports 28 extending through the bottom of the caisson 19.

The tanks 25 are provided with any suitable system for filling them with water. In the system shown, conduits 32 are connected to the upper ends of the tanks 25, and have their upper ends supported by the buoys 18. This allows water to enter into the tanks 25 through the ports 28 thus sinking the caisson 19 until it is supported by the buoys 18.

The conduits 32 also fill up with water. To refloat the caisson 19, tanks 25 are blown out by compressed air forced through the conduits 32. The caisson 19 would thus rise to the surface of the water and float until hauled aboard a vessel or re-loaded while afloat.

As best seen in Fig. 5, the floor 27 of the stowage compartment 21 in the caisson 19 supports a collapsible ballast bag 34 which communicates with ballast tanks 25. A hoisting platform 35 is mounted on the bag 34 and supports the loaded carrier 16.

A winch 36 having a cable 37 (Fig. 5) is mounted at.

seaplane 10. The cables 41 are then fed through the hoist pulleys 43 (Fig. 2) which are journaled in pivotably mounted brackets 40 on the seaplane '10. The

cables 41 are attached to internal hoists 44 and the caisson 19 is then raised by means of hoists 44 until the bumper-seal 24 is in water tight engagement with the'hull of the seaplane 10.

The outer surface of the door 12 is provided with-- hooks 45 and as shown in Fig. 2, when the caisson 19 is tight against the hull of the seaplane 10, the hooks 45 engage the cover 22 thus locking the cover 22 to the door 12. The releasable rigid seal 23 is then released from engagement with the walls of the caisson 19 and the cover 22 is free to rotate with the rotary door 12.

The door 12 is then rotated into the position shown in Fig. 3 carrying the cover 22 with it. The door 12 can be rotated into a parially open position to permit a crewman to enter the waterproofed and now completely continuous loading chamber formed by the mating of compartment 21 of the caisson 19 and the bay 11 of the seaplane 10. The door 12 is shown in such a position in Fig. 6. With the door in this position, lighting for the caisson is furnished by lights installed in the bay 11 and fresh air can be ducted in.

After entering the compartment 21 in the caisson 19, the crewman attaches the winch cable 37 to the platform 35, as shown in Fig. 5.

By means of the winch 36, the loaded carrier 16 is raised until the male conical fittings 17 engage the selflocking female fittings in the door 12 to automatically lock the loaded carrier 16 to the interior surface 14 of the door 12, shown in Fig. 3. Also, in Fig. 3, the bag 34 is shown in its expanded position as water enters the bag 34 once the platform and loaded carrier 16 are raised. The water in bag 34 replaces the weight of the loaded carrier 16 being transferred from the caisson 19, the weight of the water approximating the weight of the loaded carrier 16. Thus, the caisson 19 is stabilized during loading.

When the hoisting operation is complete and the loaded carrier 16 is securely locked to the door 12, as preferably indicated by a signal light in a bombing panel, the crewman in the compartment 21 lowers the platform down on the expanded bag 24 (Fig. 4) and leaves through the space that exists when the rotary door 12 is in the partially open or 45 degree position, shown in Fig. 6.

To complete the loading operation, the door 12 is rotated to the closed position as shown in Fig. 4, the rigid seal 23 re-engaged with the caisson walls, and the cover 22 detached from the door 12 and attached by the rigid seal 23 to the caisson walls. The hoisting cables 41 are then slackened and the caisson 19 is allowed to sink away from the seaplane 10. When the caisson 19 is entirely supported by the buoys 18 and cables 20, the cables 41 are detached from the hoists 44 and pulleys 43 and returned to the lockers 38 in the buoys 18, and the seaplane taxis from between the buoys 18.

A master connector 50 for electrical circuitry is plugged into the loaded carrier location: the deta'ls thereof form no part of the present invention, a suitable arrangement being disclosed in the above mentioned patent. Arming Wires and lanyards are attached after the door 12 is rotated to the closed position.

This entire operation requires only a short period of time to complete. The period depends largely on the condition of the sea and the experience of the handling crew.

Although, the caisson can be of any desired size, it must be heavy enough to have a slight negative buoyance when it is empty.

The buoys 18 serve four purposes: supporting the submerged caisson 19; marking the caissons location; storing the hoisting cable 41 in its locker 38; and supporting air lines 32.

It should be understood that a plurality of loaded carriers can be carried in the caisson 19 and fixed to the door 12. This can best be seen in Fig. 5, wherein space is provided for four carriers of the size illustrated.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for underwater loading a water vessel afloat comprising a water vessel afloat having a hull,

a bay within said hull closed by a rotary door, a submerged waterproof caisson having a chamber therein open at the top for encompassing said rotary door, a cover closing said chamber and having substantially the same configuration as the exterior surface of said door, means encircling said cover for releasably sealing said cover to said caisson, stores in said chamber adapted to be fastened to the interior surface of said door, means on the exterior surface of said door for securing said cover thereto, means on the interior surface of said door for locking said stores thereto, and means operatively connected to said water vessel and said caisson for raising said caisson into engagement with the hull of said water vessel.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 and hoisting means in said chamber of said caisson for raising said stores into locking engagement with the interior surface of said door.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 and at least one buoy on the surface of the water, a cable connecting said buoy to said caisson whereby the buoy supports the caisson When the caisson is detached from said raising means.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2, and bumperseal means encircling the upper end of said caisson for cushioning and sealing the caisson when it engages the hull of the water vessel.

5. In an apparatus for loading a water vessel having a bay closed by a rotary underwater door, said bay having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, means for rotating said rotary door around an axis which lies in any plane parallel to the plane containing said longitudinal axis and said transverse axis, a waterproof caisson having a chamber therein open at the top for encompassing said rotary door, a cover closing said chamber and having substantially the same configuration as the exterior surface of the door of the water vessel, and means for releasably sealing said cover to the upper end of said caisson and means for securing said cover to said door so that after the cover is released it will rotate with said door thereby enabling a load to be transferred from said chamber to said bay.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 and further comprising ballast tanks in said chamber for making and breaking communication between said chamber and said bay.

7. The combination set forth in claim 5 and hoisting means in said chamber for raising stores adapted to be fastened to the door of the water vessel.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6 and further comprising at least one buoy floating on the surface of the water, means communicating with said tanks and positioned on said buoy for blowing out the tanks when the caisson is to be elevated.

9. An apparatus for underwater loading a water vessel comprising a water vessel having a hull, a bay within said hull, a rotary door forming part of said hull for opening and closing said bay, a submerged waterproof caisson having a chamber therein open at the top for encompassing said rotary door, a cover closing said chamber and having substantially the same configuration as the exterior surface of said door, means for releasably sealing said cover to said caisson, a load within said chamber adapted to be fastened to the interior surface of said door, means on the exterior surface of said door for securing said cover thereto, means on the interior surface of said door for locking said load thereto, and means operatively connected to said water vessel and said caisson for raising said caisson into engagement with the hull of said water vessel so that the chamber in said caisson and the bay in said water vessel are placed in communication with each other.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Henry May 25, 1937 ORourke Mar. 10, 1931 Finn May 5, 1931 Spear July 14, 1931 Grieshaber -1 July 14, 1931 Hellman Apr. 20, 1937 6 Justus Dec. 21, 1937 Woollens et a1. Apr. 14, 1953 Robertson Feb. 14, 1956 Brackx Nov. 27, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 22, 1923 Great Britain Oct. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,967 631 January 10 1961 Edward M Storma et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered paten't requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below r "vessel" and before the period an be transferred from the bay in said water vessel Column 4, line 14L afte insert so that said stores c chamber in said caisson to the (SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer 

